Dilan Gomih

MBA 2019

Home Region

New York, NY

Undergrad Education

Yale University, BA Political Science/Government, 2013

Previous Experience

Flywheel Sports, Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAML), MSNBC/MSNBC.com, Google Inc., LexisNexis, CBS

HBS Activities

Student Association Chief Wellness Officer, HBS Show writer/performer, HBS Cabaret emcee, Section D Admissions Rep, Shad Hall fitness instructor, African American Student Union, Africa Business Club, Entertainment & Media Club, Entrepreneurship Club, Tech Club

“What's the best way? The whole point of going to HBS is to find out.”

Working three-and-a-half years in foreign exchange for Merrill Lynch gave Dilan Gomih a special kind of confidence. “It's a high-pressure, risky environment; every mistake has consequences," she says. “If you can make it on the trading floor in New York, you can do anything in the world."

Although trading was “an incredible experience that forced me to be detail oriented and whet my appetite for risk," Dilan felt called to leadership. Reflecting upon her work experience—in trading, media, and wellness instruction—she “realized my skill set is in making complicated things digestible. When you transfer knowledge to someone else, it's a spark, a multiplier effect. They no longer need me to do things for them; they can do it themselves, and teach others, too."

The right time for HBS

While working in finance, Dilan visited HBS during a prospective students' diversity day held on campus. “I fell in love with it immediately," she says. “At first I wondered, ‘How on earth do you learn through the case method?' But I was enthralled; something about it helps you develop confidence, whether you're initially right or wrong. It also encourages you to be adaptive, to be responsive to other people's ideas."

The seed was planted. Later, “there came a day when I was sitting at my desk and I felt I wasn't maximizing my potential. I listened to my gut. I recognized that HBS was a place where I could achieve my goals."

About a year in, Dilan says, “This is what business school is about: it helps you find people you can help, and it comes back to you. There's an authenticity to the friendships among students and faculty. I got to know people quickly – people who will probably be at my wedding. You can make the kind of friendships you don't expect to make in adulthood."

“The professors here want to know, ‘How can I help you?' These are the best academics in the world—and they're willing to leverage what they know to help us achieve our goals," says Dilan.

Her education has changed the way she sees the world. “I have more tools to help me think now." As an example, she references her Technology & Operations Management course, “which teaches you how managers can make things more efficient. Now, even when I'm in a cafeteria line, I'm thinking of how to make the line move faster, or how to change the layout to serve more people. Even food can be a managerial exercise."

Dilan's ambitions are entrepreneurial in nature. “I'm looking for the intersection between wellness and media," she says. “If there's a company out there, great…but if not, I get to create one." The ambiguity of her path does not faze her. “What's the best way? The whole point of going to HBS is to find out."